Preferred contact group centric interface

ABSTRACT

A preferred contact group centric interface for a communication device can be used to facilitate communications by a user. The user interface can be arranged to activate from a user&#39;s “home page” on the display, from an idle screen that is accessed after a timeout period expires, or any other appropriate mechanism that activates the preferred contact group centric experience. A user selects the preferred contact group from among an array of the user&#39;s contacts. Once the contact group is configured, a minimal number of navigation/selection features is necessary to activate any number of communication modes available to the contacts. The contact group is configured such that simple and quick navigation between the contact members is achieved. The contact group can be presented in 2D and 3D arrangements, in any number of list or geometric configurations. A pricing plan can optionally be tied to each member of the contact group.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This utility patent application is a continuation of U.S. PatentPublication No. 2007/0035513 A1 , now U.S. Pat. No. 7,685,530, filed onApr. 10, 2006 (and accorded U.S. application Ser. No. 11/400,925), whichin turn claims the benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) of U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application No. 60/689,581 filed on Jun. 10, 2005, which ishereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

This present invention relates generally to user interfaces that arecentered about a user's preferred group of contacts on a communicationdevice.

2. Description of the Related Art

Cellular telephones have become common communication tools in modernsociety. A wide variety of handset styles are available such as the“clam shell” flip-style cellular telephones, the non-flip or “candy-bar”style cellular telephones, and other cellular telephones with pivotingdisplays. While the internal designs of the cellular telephones may bequite different, each is generally designed ergonomically for maximumconvenience and comfort. A variety of button and selector keyconfigurations are also available, some with ergonomic design in mindand others with enhanced specialized functionality. Each cellulartelephone has its own style and functional features that provide aunique set of user experiences.

Many modern cellular telephone devices also incorporate organizationaltools that have traditionally been found in personal informationmanagers or PIMs. Examples of PIM functionalities that may beincorporated into cellular telephone devices include personal calllists, business contact call lists, phone book information, calendars,personal reminders and other information. Moreover, the popularity ofcertain tools and functionalities traditionally associated withnon-telecommunications devices, such as digital still and video cameras,MP3 players, and computers (with applications including e-mail, instanttext messaging and photo messaging), have increased the interest inproviding cellular telephone devices incorporating a wide variety ofnon-telecommunications functions.

The present disclosure has evaluated and contemplated a variety of theseand other functions to provide a user interface system with ease of usethat is centered about a user's preferred group of contacts. The groupcentered user interface is very useful in mobile or portable electronicdevices such as cellular communication devices, PDAs, PIMs, as well asother devices. Moreover, the present disclosure contemplates thatspecial billing systems may be applied to the group of contacts.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an illustration of various configurations of the userinterface idle screen.

FIG. 2 is a screenshot of an example communication options menu for theuser interface.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a first time power-up initializationsequence.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of example idle screens and other featuresrelated thereto.

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a user interaction sequence for a userinterface for adding preferred contacts.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a user interaction sequence for anotheraspect of a preferred contact group interface for adding preferredcontacts.

FIG. 7 is an illustration of an example user interaction sequence forselection of a picture for a preferred contact.

FIG. 8 is an illustration of an example interaction sequence formodification of preferred contacts.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of an example user interaction sequence tochange the order of the user's preferred contacts.

FIG. 10 is an illustration of an example user interface interactionsequence for changing various settings associated with the preferredcontact group centric interface.

FIG. 11 is an illustration of an example user interface interactionsequence that illustrates various communication modes associated with apreferred contact.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of an example user interface interactionsequence that illustrates additional communication modes associated witha contact.

FIG. 13 is an illustration of another example user interface interactionsequence that illustrates selection of various communication modesassociated with a contact.

FIG. 14 is an illustration of a user interface interaction sequence forcreation of a graphical icon for a preferred contact from a downloadedpicture.

FIG. 15 is an illustration of an example user interface interactionsequence for an incoming communication notification associated with acontact.

FIGS. 16A-16E are illustrations of an example Web-based user interfacefor configuration and management of a preferred contact group userinterface.

FIGS. 17A-17C are illustrations of an example WAP-based user interfacefor configuration and management of a preferred contact group userinterface.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present description relates to a preferred contact group centricinterface that can be used to facilitate communications by the user withany of his or her designated preferred contacts via a communicationdevice. The user interface can be arranged to activate from a user's“home page” on the display of his or her communication device from anidle screen that is accessed after a timeout period expires, or anyother appropriate mechanism that activates the preferred contact groupcentric experience.

Briefly stated, a preferred contact group centric interface for acommunication device can be used to facilitate communications by a user.A user selects the preferred contact group from among an array of theuser's contacts. Once the contact group is configured, a minimal numberof navigation/selection features is necessary to activate any number ofcommunication modes available to the contacts. The contact group isconfigured such that simple and quick navigation between the contactmembers is achieved. The contact group can be presented in twodimensional and three dimensional arrangements, and in any number oflist or geometric configurations. A pricing plan may optionally be tiedto the provision of communications services between the user and his orher preferred contact group.

The preferred contact group centric experience is designed to facilitatequick and easy selection of a contact from among an array of the user'scontacts (as designated by the user), followed by quick and easyapplication selection from a variety of communications modes, includingsingle-click initiation of a communication mode of a default contact ora default communication mode. Although many of the descriptionscontained herein illustrate a grouping of five (5) key contacts relatedto the interface, the exact number of contacts is not significant andany number of contacts (e.g., 10, 20, 100, etc) can be employedindividually or as part of groups. Moreover, the term communicationdevice is intended to cover a wide variety of devices such as, forexample, cellular telephone type devices, PDA/PTM style devices, as wellas other devices that include communication facilities.

In one example, a display of five preferred contacts is presented on theidle screen of the user's communication device. The user may initiate acommunication mode for a pre-selected default contact with a singleclick, or may swiftly traverse through his or her contacts usingnavigation keys configured for such purpose (e.g., up/down/left/rightkeys) until the desired contact is highlighted, then may initiate apre-selected default communication to the highlighted contact simply bypressing the designated default key on the communication device or maytraverse through numerous other communications modes that are availableto communicate with the selected contact (e.g. e-mail, instantmessaging, or photo messaging) simply by using navigation keysconfigured for such purpose (e.g., up/down/left/right keys) and thenpressing a designated selection button on the communication device. Theinterface is contact group centric in that the interface experiencecommences with the selection of the desired recipient (either manuallyor by default) from the user's preferred contact group, followed byselection of the desired mode of communication with a selected contact(either via single-click initiation of a default mode of communicationor via a communication mode menu).

While some conventional address book menus on communication devices doprovide a minimal amount of person centric communications, the contactgroup centric interface is unique in that it provides a user with anovel method to select both preferred contacts and preferredcommunication modes through a single, visually appealing interface. Theuser's preferred contacts, as well as communications options relating tothose contacts, may be presented in a list-styled arrangement, acircular-styled arrangement, an elliptical-styled arrangement, or someother geometric-styled arrangement such as pentagonal, hexagonal, “X”shaped, “T” shaped, or “+” shaped arrangements. In addition, thepresentation of all communication modes in one location, accessiblethrough presentation of the contacts on an idle screen, is novel to thepreferred contact group centric interface. Example screenshots forvarious views of the preferred contact group centric interface arepresented below, along with communication mode screenshots. Usercontacts are chosen in advance by the user and remain in the orderselected until the user replaces or rearranges his or her contacts,thereby providing predictability in user interface interaction. Forexample, if the user selects “MOM” as his or her first contact, thenonly a single click of a designated key is required to call “MOM”, untilthe user changes the order and moves “MOM” to another location among hisor her preferred contacts. This is an important novel concept of thepreferred contact group centric interface and an enhancement to currentuser interface experiences.

Current cellular telephone user interfaces are designed in a veryfeature centric manner. For example, to make voice calls on aconventional cellular telephone, users typically access the device'saddress book. In order to type and transmit a text message, the usermust typically first access a “messages” menu and then select a“compose” function from the menu, followed by selecting the desiredrecipient of the message. While some cellular telephones do permit auser to send a text message, for example, from a phone book menu, thisuser experience is not optimal in terms of minimizing number of keyclicks and overall ease of navigation. Requiring users to navigate tonumerous menus and locations in the traditional user interface alsonegatively impacts of the user's ability to discover those features. Insummary, the user experience for current cellular telephones is veryfeature driven rather than contact centric.

The preferred contact group centric interface brings the user'smost-desired contacts “front and center” to the idle screen (or someother appropriate screen) of the device display. Through easy andintuitive selection of a desired contact among an array of contacts, theuser is then able to quickly access a variety of communication modesavailable to communicate with the contact, such as initiating a voicecall, sending a text, picture, voice or instant message (IM), or sendingan email. The preferred contact group centric interface also enables anovel scalable user experience that provides a “front and center”presentation from which to add new communication services.

This concept may benefit both the end customer and the service provider(e.g., a wireless telecommunications carrier). The service providersupporting the communication device may offer special, desirable pricingplans in conjunction with the unique qualities of the preferred contactgroup centric interface. For instance, the service provider may offer aspecial price plan providing unlimited incoming and outgoing voice callsbetween the user and his or her designated preferred contacts. By way offurther example, the service provider may expand its offering ofunlimited services to include unlimited messaging as well as data userelated to the user's designated preferred contacts. Further expansionof the price plan can include calling to international numbers.

The idle screen can be defined at the front/home screen of thecommunication device, and may include the name of the service provider,battery level, wireless signal strength, date, time, and may provideaccess to the menu functions of the phone.

The display of the user's contacts on the preferred contact groupcentric interface's idle screen can be integrated into the backgroundwallpaper through transparency.

In another embodiment, the user's contacts can be a Web-enabled pagethat is downloaded from a network connection such as a Web page or a WAPpage, possibly including active X, Java, Flash, or some other scriptingor executable format that provides a uniform interaction on all similarcommunications devices. Contacts can be managed through the Web, or WAP,other over-The-air transport technology, a cable interface with thedevice or other connection to another device (e.g., personal computer).

FIG. 1 is an illustration of various configurations (100) of thepreferred contact group centric interface idle screen. Screenshot 110illustrates a circular style idle screen where each contact in theuser's contact group is arranged about a center axis on the graphicsdisplay. The currently-selected contact is illustrated in the bottomcenter portion of the screen, but any designated location can be usedfor the selected contact. In example screenshot 110, the dimensions ofthe graphical icon (a photo in this case) are larger for the selectedcontact than the other non-selected contacts. In example screenshot 110,the dimensions of the graphical icon are determined by the physicalscreen location (e.g., bottom center is larger than right/left, whichare larger than top right and top left) relative to an axis or rotation(to be discussed later). The dimensions associated with the graphicalicons can be the same for every contact regardless of screen location,different for every contact based on screen location, or according tosome other specified motif. Text identifying the selected contact's nameis included beneath the associated graphical icon. The selectedcontact's name may also be overlaid on the graphic in a visuallyappealing manner.

Screenshot 120 illustrates a list-style idle screen configuration whereeach contact in the user's contact group is arranged in a vertical listabout a linear axis with graphical icons positioned on the left handside of the screen and text identifying the corresponding contacts nameon right hand side of the screen. A selected contact is illustrated inan inverse video format or some other graphical form highlighting. Inone example, the selected contact always appears in a fixed location onthe display (e.g., the top most position, the bottom most position, thecenter position, etc.) and the user interface is arranged to verticallyscroll up and down through the list. In another example, thehighlighting indicator can be moved up and down through the contactlist. In still another example, the list has a wrap-around effect wherescrolling from the top of the display continues at the bottom of thelist, and vice-versa. The list-style idle screen may also be displayedhorizontally.

Screenshot 130 illustrates another circular style configuration whereeach contact in the user's contact group is arranged about a center axison the display, with the currently-selected contact being located in thecenter of the other non-selected contacts. In example screenshot 130,the dimensions of the graphical icon (a photo in this case) are largerfor the selected contact than the other non-selected contacts. Textidentifying the selected contact's name is included around the bottomline of the graphical display.

Screenshot 140 illustrates another circular style configuration whereeach contact in the user's contact group is arranged about a center axison the graphics display in a three-dimensional space. The dimensions ofthe graphical icon (a photo in this case) are larger for the selectedcontact than the other non-selected contacts. Text identifying theselected contact's name is included above the graphical icon, below thegraphical icon, or overlapping the top portion of the graphical icon asillustrated in the figure. The graphical icons are depicted with athree-dimensional appearance that is akin to a sphere with an imagewrapped around the visible face. The user interface can be arranged suchthat the selected icon can be changed by rotation about athree-dimensional axis. Shadows can be added to reflect a threedimensional look.

Each of the above-described idle screens permits the user to change thecurrently-selected contact by traversing the group of contacts in theuser's contact group via the various navigation buttons/interfaces onthe communication device (e.g., a wireless communication device, acellular telephone, a PDA or PIN style device, etc.). A variety ofgraphical effects can be applied to the display screen when the usertraverses the group of contacts appearing in the interface, such as ananimated rotation effect, a picture swap effect, a fade-in effect, afade-out effect, a fly-in effect, a fly-out effect, a dissolve-ineffect, a dissolve-out effect, a spiral-in effect, a spiral-out effect,a slide-in effect, and a slide-out effect.

The preferred contact group centric interface that is described hereinis described in terms of navigation/selection buttons and keys on thecommunication device, as well as other specially designated selectorsthat are used for initiating and cancelling telephone calls. However,any appropriate navigation/selection means is contemplated within thescope of this discussion including, but not limited to a keypad, adirectional key, a dynamically assigned soft key, a joypad-styleinterface, a joystick-style interface, a trackball-style interface, atouch screen type interface, and a stylus type interface. Other means ofnavigation/selection can include side key push and hold, speechrecognition, and gesture recognition.

FIG. 2 is a screenshot of an example list-style communication optionsmenu (200) for the preferred contact group centric interface. Afterselecting the options screen, a number of communication modes areaccessible. For this example screen (200), a communication mode can beselected by traversing through the list of available communication modesand pressing the select key, or by pressing the corresponding number onthe keypad. The illustrated communication modes include placing atelephone call (“1. Call”), sending a text message (“2. Send Message”),sending a picture (“3. Share Picture”), sending a voice message (“4.Send Voice Message”), sending an instant message (“5. Send IM”), andsending an email message (“6. Send E-mail”). Additionally, maintenancemethods can be selected from the options screen such as, for example,viewing activity logs (“7. Activity Log”) and editing the contactsprofile (“8. Edit Profile”).

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a first time power-up initializationsequence (300) that can be employed by a communication device in orderto complete registration/activation with a service provider.

After initial power up, a timeout occurs and the communication devicedisplays pre-activation idle screen 310. After activation is completedby the user with the service provider (e.g., via a telephone call, in acompany store, over the Internet, or by other means), an SMS message issent to the communication device. The communication device receives theSMS message and displays a text message receipt screen such as SMSscreen 320. The user can either select “View” or “Exit” from SMS screen320. Selection of “View” causes the communication device to display awelcome message such as welcome screen 330. The user can exit fromwelcome screen 330 by selecting “Options” or “Back”, resulting in thecommunication device transferring to the preferred contact group centricinterface's main or default screen, which is illustrated aspost-activation idle screen 340. User selection of “Exit” from SMSscreen 320 also results in the communication device changing to thepost-activation idle screen 340.

Once the preferred contact group centric interface is available on thecommunication device, the default main screen or idle screen can beinitialized for a selected group of contacts that are considered withinthe user's preferred contacts group. Special telecommunications pricingand/or services associated with the user's preferred contacts group maybe associated with a special pricing plan. When the user's preferredcontacts are keyed to a special pricing plan, a service provider maydesire that the user's group membership be changed only at the beginningof a billing cycle or during some other revolving enrollment period. Theuser may designate the membership of his or her preferred contact groupvia the communication device, a customer service center representative,a computer connected through the Internet, or some other mechanism.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of example idle screens (400) and otherfeatures related thereto.

A partially-populated idle screen includes a mix of graphicalidentifiers associated with the user's preferred contacts, asillustrated in idle screen 410 of FIG. 4. A default picture icon can beused to represent a preferred contact in the group if no other graphicalidentifier has been assigned by the user, as illustrated by defaultpicture icon 412. A thumbnail size picture can be assigned to apreferred contact as illustrated by icon 414. An unpopulated orunassigned icon includes another graphical identifier to indicate thatanother contact can be assigned to the group as illustrated by defaultunpopulated contact icon in 416.

A fully populated idle screen includes a mix of graphical identifiersassociated for the various preferred contacts as illustrated inscreenshot 420 of FIG. 4. Each contact in the user's preferred contactgroup is illustrated with thumbnail pictures in this example, but is notso limited. Optional status indicators can be dynamically assigned tothe graphical indicators as illustrated by example indicators 422 and424. Indicators 422 illustrate a graphical indicator and a textindicator for a missed telephone call from one identified contact (e.g.,Nate). Indicator 424 illustrates that an email message is waiting fromanother identified contact. Other indicators can also be associated witha contact, such as graphical icons and/or text strings as may be desiredfor a variety of indications such as text message waiting, voice messagewaiting, picture message waiting, as well as others.

The optional status indicators can also be tied to a variety of otherfeatures, such as presence information, upcoming dates and appointments,and a mood level associated with the particular contact.

Presence information indicators can reveal the contact's currentavailability status (e.g., “available”, “unavailable”, “on-line”,“off-line”, “busy”, “out to lunch”, “in a meeting”, “be right back”,“away”), their location status (“at the corner of 5^(th) Ave.”), as wellas other user configurable presence indicators (e.g., “meet me for lunchat 2 PM”).

Upcoming dates and appointments indicators can reveal the contact'sbirthday, anniversary, and other important dates and appointments.

Mood level indicators can be utilized to project a likely mood upon apreferred contact, such as happy, sad, or ambivalent, wherein the moodlevel can be changed dynamically based on a number of criteria. Forexample, if a user has not contacted a preferred contact recently, ornot as frequently as other contacts from the user's preferred contactgroup, the mood indicator may designate the contact as sad. In contrast,a frequently contacted contact can have a mood indicator of happy. Themood indicators can also be tied to other items, such as a dailyhoroscope, or updated in response to a presence data that is provided bythe contact, such as through an instant messaging program.

Other information such as current physical location of the contact(e.g., near the user, in the same city as the user) using location basedtechnology can also be displayed. In addition, relevant content relatedto the contact may also be displayed (e.g., if contact is interested ina specific musical act, then the musical act's upcoming concert date canbe displayed, along with a hotlink to purchase tickets).

FIG. 5 is an illustration of a user interaction sequence (500) foradding preferred contacts. The process flow (500) of FIG. 5 begins atthe depicted unpopulated idle screen.

The user can press the “Select” key (e.g., the center button on ajoypad, an “OK” button, or some other button) from the idle screen toadd a contact for the currently selected contact group member. Thepressing of the “Select” key results in another screen that eitherreplaces the current screen with an “Add Group Contact” dialog oroverlays the current screen (e.g., a pop-up window). The dialog notifiesthe user that a new contact is being added to the currently selectedgroup (which was unpopulated in this example). The preferred contactgroup centric interface also permits the user to select “Create new”,“Get from phonebook” or “Back.” Selection of “Back” cancels the “addcontact” dialog box and returns to the idle screen.

Selection of “Create new” from the “Add Group Contact” dialogtransitions the preferred contact group centric interface to a “Createnew” template with one or more data entry fields such as name, number,picture, etc. The fields could also include a wide variety of additionalinformation, including e-mail address, home address, birthday, favoriteice cream, place of birth, and other information. The user can return tothe prior screen with selection of the “Back” key, or enter data intoone or more of the various data entry fields.

Data can be entered into the data entry fields using various keys and/orinput devices available for the communication device. Once the user hasentered data, the user can either cancel the entered data or select the“Save” key. Pressing the “Cancel” key returns the preferred contactgroup centric interface to the prior screen, which is the “Add GroupContact” dialog, while pressing the “Save” key transfers the preferredcontact group centric interface to a confirmation dialog.

The confirmation dialog requests the user to approve saving theinformation for the selected contact from the user's preferred contactgroup. Approval can be rejected by the user by depressing one keyfunction (e.g., “No”), or accepted by depressing another key function(e.g., “Yes”). Rejection of approval returns the process to the priorscreen. When approval is accepted, the entered data is transmitted bythe communication device to the service provider for records updating,and a dialog screen is displayed to indicate that the server is beingupdated.

After a timeout period has expired, processing returns to the idlescreen where a wait indicator (e.g., an hourglass) is displayed for thepreviously selected icon. After the service provider has updated recordsfor the communication device on server, a message is transmitted to thecommunication device to indicate that the records have been successfullyupdated (or perhaps an error message if some other error occurs). Theupdated records dialog screen can be dismissed with a user interactionsuch as pressing an “OK” button, and the user interface resumes the idlescreen with the populated contact now present.

FIG. 6 is an illustration of a user interaction sequence (600) foranother aspect of a preferred contact group centric interface for addingpreferred contacts. The process flow (600) of FIG. 6 begins at thedepicted unpopulated idle screen.

The user can press the “Select” key (e.g., the center button on ajoypad, an “OK” button, or some other button) from the idle screen toadd a contact for the currently selected contact group member. Pressingthe “Select” key results in another screen that either replaces thecurrent screen with an “Add Group Contact” dialog or overlays thecurrent screen such as a pop-up window style. The dialog notifies theuser that a new contact is being added to the currently selected groupmember (which was previously unpopulated in this example). The userinterface also permits the user to select “Create new”, “Get fromphonebook” or “Back.” Selection of “Back” cancels the “Add GroupContact” dialog box and returns to the idle screen.

Selection of “Get from phonebook” from the “Add Group Contact” dialogtransitions the user interface to a phonebook interface such as from acontact manager type application. A previously entered contact can thenbe selected from the phonebook using the various keys and/or inputdevices available in the contact manager. Once the user has selected thecontact, the user can either cancel the selection (e.g., selecting“Back”), or select a telephone number (e.g., from a list of availablenumbers such as a home number, a cell phone number, etc.) for thecontact. After the desired phone number is selected, the user can eithersave the selected contact information (e.g. “Save”) or cancel and returnto the prior screen (e.g., “Cancel”). The confirmation dialogs,approval/rejection, and remaining steps in FIG. 6 are substantially thesame as that described for FIG. 5.

As previously stated, each contact in the user's preferred contact groupcan have an associated graphical icon for display on the idle screen.FIG. 7 is an illustration of an example user interaction sequence (700)for selection of a picture for a preferred contact. In one example, theinteraction of FIG. 7 occurs when the contact is initially selected suchas from a contact manager application as previously described. A defaultpicture might already be assigned to the identified contact such as whena photograph is assigned to the contact in a contact managerapplication. For this example, a dialog screen is displayed requestingapproval or rejection of the default picture after the telephone numberis selected.

Approval of the default picture opens a photographic edit tool thatincludes a crop tool that operates similar to a graphical cursor. Thecrop tool can be positioned on a desired region of the picture by theuser. Optionally, the crop tool can also be configured to zoom in andout of the picture region to provide a desired image size for cropping.Selection of “Crop” will transition the user interface to a “Save”dialog window that permits approval or rejection of the cropped photo.Selection of “Back” aborts the crop tool back to the prior screen, whichis the “Use default” picture dialog screen previously described.

When the default picture is rejected, another dialog screen is displayedthat includes various data fields for the user's preferred contact. Theuser can then press the “Select” key or “Center” key over the picturefield to select the photo from a number of sources such as a digitalcamera interface (e.g., “Take Picture”) that is built into thecommunication device, a file folder such as “My Photos”, an icon such as“Group Contact Icons”, or some other source such as downloaded icons.Selection of “Take Picture” causes the communication device to activateits facility for taking pictures, followed by cropping the picture, andthe various approval and rejection dialogs previously described.Selection of “My Photos” results in activation of a file manager type oftool that permits selection of a photograph from a file folder,activation of the crop tool, and the various approval and rejectiondialogs previously described. Selection of “Group Contact Icons” resultsin activation of a file manager type of tool that permits selection ofan icon from a file folder, followed by the various approval andrejection dialogs as previously described. Selection of “Get More Icons”results in the launch of an Internet based browser (e.g., WAP) allowingthe user to download more icons.

It is anticipated that a user may desire to edit the informationassociated with a member of the user's preferred contact group, orreplace the contact with another more desirable contact. FIG. 8 is anillustration of an example interaction sequence (800) for modificationof preferred contacts. From the idle screen, the selection key isdepressed to recall various options that are available for a previouslyconfigured contact in the user's preferred contact group. Selection ofthe “Options” key permits the user to select any one of “Edit Profile”,“Replace Contact” or “Change Order” for the selected contact. Selectionof “Edit Profile” permits the user to change any one of the data fieldsthat are associated with the selected group contact.

Section of “Replace Contact” causes another dialog series, such aswarning messages that a contact cannot be changed until the next billingcycle, or some other dialog such as a screen warning that the contactcan only be replaced once a month. This dialog screen can be the resultof a check with the network to confirm inability for the user to makethe change. An approval/rejection dialog can then be exercised to permitreplacing the contact.

FIG. 9 is an illustration of an example user interaction sequence (900)to change the presentation order of the user's preferred contacts. Userinteraction associated with the “Change Order” selection from theoptions screen of FIG. 8 can also described with reference to FIG. 9.Once the “Change Order” selection is made, the user can utilize theleft/right keys or some other set of keys to rotate the currentlyselected group member though the various ordering positions. In thisexample, a circular arrangement is used for the group members about acenter axis on the screen. Pressing the left key rotates the selectedcontact in a counter-clockwise manner, while pressing the right keyrotates the selected contact in a clockwise manner. Once the desiredorder position is reached, “Done” can be selected. Alternatively, theuser can cancel changing the ordering of the contacts.

FIG. 10 is an illustration of an example user interface interactionsequence (1000) for changing various settings associated with thepreferred contact group centric interface. The interaction begins at theIDLE screen where the user selects “Menu”. A series of icons arepresented that represent all of the various menu options, including asettings icon. The settings icon is illustrated by an S, but anygraphical and/or text based icon can be utilized as the settings icon.The user navigates the selection cursor to the settings icon and presses“Select” to activate the settings menu, or alternatively presses “Back”to return to the prior screen (the idle screen in this case).

From the settings menu, a variety of setting parameters are accessible,such as “1. Time & Date”, “2. Display Settings”, “3. Sound Settings”,“4. Group Settings”, “5. Network Services”, and “6. Security”. Selectionof the designated number key (4 in this example) or navigating thecursor to the “Group Settings” and pressing the selection buttonactivates the “Group Contacts Settings” menu. A “Back” interaction canalso be used to return to the prior screen.

From the “Group Contact Settings” menu a number of selections areavailable such as “1. Hide Group”, “2. Refresh Group”, and “3. AboutGroup Contacts”. Selection of “Hide Group” disables the idle screen fromshowing the preferred group contacts and a dialog screen is displayedthat indicates the assignment of various shortcuts and related settings.Once “OK” is selected, the dialog screen is dismissed and the groupcontacts settings menu toggles “1. Hide Group” to “1. Unhide Group”:Selection of “Refresh Group” sends a message to the server requestingthat the preferred group contact settings be updated, resulting in adialog screen (which can be dismissed with “OK”) that refreshing maytake a few minutes. Selection of “About Group Contacts” launches anInternet based site such as a WAP site. From the WAP site, the wirelesscarrier can provide a number of additional menu selection items,additional information about the current settings, or any other desiredinteraction.

The settings menu can also include other settings such as AnimationSettings that allow the user the option to choose different ways inwhich the group contacts are animated. In one example animation setting,the visible contacts on the device's display screen are animated byrotating about a rotational axis when the user changes the currentlyselected contact. In another example animation setting, the visiblecontacts on the device's display screen are animated by fade-in andfade-out effects. In still another example animation setting, thevisible contacts on the device's display screen are animated by fly-inand fly-out effects. Other effects may also be selected with ananimation setting, including disabling the animation effects.

FIG. 11 is an illustration of an example user interface interactionsequence (1100) that illustrates various calling/communication modesassociated with a user's preferred contacts. The interaction begins atthe preferred contact group centric interface's idle screen where theuser can navigate to a preferred contact, and either press the “Send”key or press the “Select” key for the currently selected preferredcontact.

Selection of the “Send” key (or some other previously assigned key) fromthe idle screen results in the communication device activating apre-selected communication mode associated with the currently selectedcontact. The pre-selected communication mode can be pre-configured for adefault communication mode, or user configured. In one example, thepre-selected communication mode for each contact in the group ofcontacts can be different from one another. In another example, thepre-selected communication mode for each contact in the group ofcontacts are the same. In one example, the pre-selected communicationmode is simply to place a telephone call to a previously designatedphone number for the contact, as shown by the “Calling . . . ” dialogscreen.

As depicted in FIG. 11, a telephone call to a currently selected contactis quickly and easily placed without requiring the user to traversethrough additional menu screens. Instead, the currently selected contact(e.g., “Nate”) is selected with a single click user selection. Thesingle click user selection can be effected by any means such asdepressing a dedicated selection key (e.g., “talk”), depressing a userconfigured soft key, or any other user input device such as atouchscreen, touchpad, joypad, joystick, etc. Since the pre-selectedcommunication mode (e.g., “place phone call”) is activated with asingle-click on the device, the user interface is very simple andefficient.

Pressing the “Select” key from the idle screen results in thecommunication device activating a communication options menu for thecurrently selected contact. The list of contacts can revert to theoriginal state, for example immediately after the call has ended or themessage has been sent or after a brief timeout (e.g., 5 seconds).

The communication options menu includes a set of choices such as “1.Call”, “2. Send Message”, “3. Share Picture”, “4. Send Voice Note” and“5. Activity Log”, similar to that described for FIG. 2. Thecommunication options menu permits changing the selected contact withnavigation buttons such as left and right without returning to the idlescreen, or returning to the idle screen in response to “Back” Selecting“Call” from this menu places a telephone call in the manner discussedabove.

Selecting “Send Message” from the communication options menu activates atext message interface. The user can enter and send text messages fromthe messaging interface. The preferred contact group centric interfaceautomatically retrieves address data associated with the currentlyselected preferred contact such that selection of “OK” or“Options->Send” sends the message without further user interaction.

Selecting “Share Picture” from the communication options menu activatesa picture-sharing interface that includes selections such as “1. TakePicture”, “2. My Photos”, and “3. Group Contact Icons”. Selection of“Take Picture” activates a digital camera interface on the communicationdevice, where digital pictures can be captured by activating theelectronic shutter (e.g., “Capture”). Selection of “My Photos” activatesa file manager interface on the communication device, where digitalpictures can be selected. Once again, the user interface automaticallyretrieves address data associated with the currently selected preferredcontact such that selection of “OK” or “Options->Send” sends thecaptured or selected photo without further user interaction.

FIG. 12 is an illustration of an example preferred contact group centricinterface interaction sequence (1200) that illustrates additionalcommunication modes associated with a preferred contact. The interactionbegins at the communication options menu, which includes a set ofchoices such as “1. Call”, “2. Send Message”, “3. Share Picture”, “4.Send Voice Note” and “5. Activity Log”, similar to that describedpreviously for FIG. 2.

Selecting “Send Voice Note” from the communication options menuactivates a voice note interface where a voice message can be recordedby selecting “Record”. The user dictates the voice message to thecommunication device and presses the “Stop” key to end the recording. Asmay be desired in any interface, the voice note interface is illustratedwith a “Back” key feature that permits returning to a prior screen suchas the communication options menu. Similar to that discussed previously,the preferred contact group centric interface automatically retrievesaddress data associated with the currently selected preferred contactsuch that selection of “Send” transmits the recorded voice note withoutfurther user interaction.

Selecting “Activity Log” from the communication options menu activates acommunications activity log interface that is associated with theselected contact. Communication activities for the selected contact arethen displayed on the screen. The activity log can include any number ofactivities such as, for example, time and date of phone calls, textmessages, voice notes, pictures received, etc. The activity loginterface is illustrated with a “Back” key feature that permitsreturning to a prior screen such as the communication options menu.Additional options can also be available from the activity log interfacesuch as “clear history”, as well as others.

FIG. 13 is an illustration of another example user interface interactionsequence (1300) that illustrates selection of various communicationmodes associated with a preferred contact. As illustrated in the figure,a preferred contact is initially selected from the idle screen byactivating the “Select” key for the currently selected contact. Theinteraction activates the communication options menu, which includes aset of choices such as “Call”, “Messaging”, “Instant Messaging”,“Email”, etc., similar to that described previously for FIG. 2.

An arrangement of graphical icons is used to indicate each of thecommunication modes that is available for the currently selectedcontact. The graphical icons are arranged about a central axis relativeto the display screen. The user interface in this example is arrangedsuch that selection of the left and right navigation keys will result inrotationally changing the location of each of the graphical iconsrelative to the central axis. The currently selected communication modein this example corresponds to the graphical icon that is located in thebottom center location of the display screen. The currently selectedgraphical icon also includes a text string that is displayed in thebottom center area of the display screen. A selection indicator in thisexample is illustrated by the box that surrounds the graphical icon andthe associated text string.

As may be desired in any interface, the “Back” key feature can permitthe user to dismiss the communication options menu and return to a priorscreen such as the idle display screen. Similar to that discussedpreviously, the preferred contact group centric interface automaticallyretrieves addressing information for any of the selected communicationmodes such that activation of a communication mode only requires asingle click.

Although the above-described example communication options menu isarranged in a circular or elliptical arrangement that rotates about acentral axis on the screen, other arrangements are also available suchas a linear list, a vertical list, a horizontal list, a diagonal list, acircular shape, a semi-circular shape, an elliptical shape, a triangularshape, a diamond shape, a U-shape, an L-shape, a square shape, aquadrilateral shape, a pentagonal shape, a hexagonal shape, anothergeometric patterned shape, a two-dimensional pattern, and athree-dimensional pattern.

While the above description of the communication options menu isdescribed with a rotation about the central axis, graphical effects canalso be used such as an animation effect, a highlight effect, a fade-ineffect, a fade-out effect, a fly-in effect, a fly-out effect, adissolve-in effect, a dissolve-out effect, a spiral-in effect, aspiral-out effect, a slide-in effect, and a slide-out effect.

The above-described example is illustrated where the bottom centerlocation of the display screen corresponds to the currently selectedcommunication mode. The present disclosure it not so limited, and anyother screen location may also be utilized for the currently selectedcommunication mode. Moreover, the graphical icons can remain stationaryin another example, where a graphical indicator of the currentlyselected communication mode moves about the screen. The graphicalindicator can be any desired effect such as a highlight effect, aselection box, an inverse video effect, etc.

FIG. 14 is an illustration of a preferred contact group centricinterface interaction sequence (1400) for creation of a graphical iconfor a preferred contact from a downloaded picture. Interaction beginswhen “download picture” is activated from another menu such as from FIG.7, or by some other interaction such as an Internet based download.After the picture is downloaded, a dialog screen is displayed indicatingthe download is complete. The dialog can be dismissed by selecting “OK”or the downloaded picture can be displayed by selecting “View”. Once thedialog is dismissed or the photo is dismissed similarly with “OK”, a“Set As” menu is displayed.

The “Set As” menu has a number of available selections such as “1.Wallpaper”, “2. Picture ID”, and “3. Group Contact Icon”. Selection of“Wallpaper” saves the downloaded image as background wallpaper for thecommunication device. Selection of “Picture ID” saves the downloadedimage as a photographic identifier, such as might be used by a contactmanager application or perhaps stored in a file folder for other uses.

Selection of “Group Contact Icon” saves the downloaded image as apreferred contact icon. In some instances, the downloaded picture is notalready in appropriate format and the image is cropped with a croppingtool similar to that previously described for FIG. 7. In otherinstances, the downloaded picture is already cropped and formatted as apreferred contact icon, and no further cropping and/or formatting isrequired. A menu is then displayed to assign the formatted icon to oneof the contacts in the user's preferred contact group.

FIG. 15 is an illustration of an example user interface interactionsequence (1500) for an incoming communication notification associatedwith a contact. The interaction begins from any appropriate screen suchas an IDLE screen. When the incoming call is detected, the displayscreen on the communication device displays indicators for the incomingcall such as the telephone number identified by caller ID, the groupcontact name associated with the incoming call, and a graphicalidentifier associated with the contact. The user can the select “accept”or “reject” for the incoming call as illustrated.

FIGS. 16A-16E are illustrations of an example web-based user interfacefor configuration and management of a preferred contact group userinterface. As illustrated in FIG. 16A, a user can navigate a web page toselect a preferred contacts group plan from the service provider, learnmore about the plan, or view a demonstration of the preferred contactsgroup user interface. Once the group contact plan has been selected, auser can select management of group contacts through a web page asillustrated by FIG. 16B.

Selection of “manage group contacts” can be handled by a web-interfacesuch as illustrated in FIG. 16C. Each contact has a designated name andphone number that can be added to the group as illustrated. An attemptto change a contact at a non-permitted time can result in a notificationmessage such as illustrated in FIG. 16C, where group contacts can onlybe changed once a month. Failure to enter a name, or a duplicate namecan result in a notification message to “please enter a name” asillustrated in FIG. 16D. FIG. 16E illustrates another contact managementscreen for managing group contacts, where web-links are used to edit allcontacts, add a new contact, or select an existing contact for furtherediting.

FIGS. 17A-17C are illustrations of an example WAP-based user interfacefor configuration and management of a preferred contact group userinterface.

Initial configuration is illustrated in FIG. 17A, where a manage groupcontacts welcome screen is initially displayed prior to a user addingany contacts to the preferred contact group. A WAP link is displayed foradding each of the group contact members. A group contact member (e.g.,contact slot #1) is selected using navigation keys. Once the desiredgroup contact member is highlighted (e.g., see the dotted box), the usercan choose “Select” to traverse to the WAP link for adding a groupcontact member. A new display screen is then presented where the usercan enter a name and telephone number for the selected contact (e.g.,contact slot #1), or select “Cancel” Once the user chooses “Done” aconformation screen can be displayed to permit the user a last chance toconfirm the changes to the selected group contact member (e.g. slot #1).The manage group contact screen displays an update notification for theselected contact member slot until the carrier network confirms theupdated contact.

FIG. 17B illustrates an example of user management of icons for groupcontacts from a WAP-based interface. A user selects to download groupcontact icons from the WAP-based interface by selecting an appropriatenavigation link that can be designated on a WAP page provided by thecommunications carrier. Alternatively, the user can select a WAP link todownload an icon from a WAP based “Manage Group Contacts” web page.Icons can be provided for a service charge or for free as illustrated inthe figures. Once downloaded, an icon is available for assignment to anyof the preferred group contacts as previously described.

FIG. 17C illustrates an example of user based editing of group contacticons from a WAP-based interface. A user selects a group contact memberfrom a WAP-link on the “Manage Group Contacts” WAP-based web page usinga variety of navigation and selection methods previously described. Byselecting the appropriate web-link, the user navigates to an “Edit GroupContact” WAP-based web page. The selected group contact slot may havealready been changed once within the prescribed period (e.g., once permonth), in which case the user will be able to change the nameassociated with the contact but not the associated phone number. Whenthe user has not changed to phone number within the prescribed period,the user will be able to update both the phone number and the nameassociated with the selected contact. Once the user selects “Done” fromthe web page, the information is updated accordingly on the carriernetwork as previously described.

The above specification, examples and data provide a completedescription of the manufacture and use of the composition of theembodiments. Although the subject matter has been described in languagespecific to structural features and/or methods, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features, or specificimplementations described above. Many other configurations of computingdevices, communications features, applications, and distributed softwareand/or hardware systems may be employed to implement the describeddynamic user interface. The specific features and methods describedabove are thus disclosed as example forms of implementing the claims andembodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system comprising: a data store for maintaininga subset of contacts selected at least in part by a user of acommunications device, wherein the subset of user contacts includes aportion of contacts accessible by the communications device and whereinthe subset of contacts includes a plurality of contacts; and at leastone computing device comprising a processor and a user interfacecomponent, implemented by executing instructions on the processor, theuser interface component in communication with the data store., and theat least one computing device operative to: cause the generation of adisplay on the communications device, the display including a graphicalidentifier associated with each contact of the subset of contacts;identify a preferred communication mode associated with a user contactcorresponding to a selected graphical identifier from the graphicalidentifiers displayed on the communications device, wherein thepreferred communication mode is pre-selected by the user and wherein thepreferred communication mode associated with the user contactcorresponding to the selected graphical identifier is different from apreferred communication mode associated with at least one of the otheruser contacts in the subset; and automatically initiate a communicationcorresponding to the preferred communication mode and directed to theuser contact associated with the selected graphical identifier inresponse to selection by the user of a single input on the communicationdevice, wherein the graphical identifiers associated with the subset ofcontacts are caused to be presented on the display in response toinitiation of an idle screen state.
 2. The system as recited in claim 1,wherein each contact in the subset of contacts is selected by the userof the communications device.
 3. The system as recited in claim 1,wherein the display includes a first position corresponding to aselected graphical identifier position such that a graphical identifierpresented in the first position corresponds to the selected graphicalidentifier.
 4. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein the graphicalidentifier associated with a first contact selected by the user as amember of the subset of contacts is initially presented on the displayin the first position.
 5. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein thepreferred communication mode associated with the at least one of theother user contacts in the subset is pre-configured as a defaultcommunication mode.
 6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein thepreferred communication mode associated with the at least one of theother user contacts in the subset is pre-selected by the user.
 7. Thesystem as recited in claim 1, wherein the preferred communication modeassociated with the user contact corresponding to the selected graphicalidentifier corresponds to a telephone call to the user contactcorresponding to the selected graphical identifier.
 8. Acomputer-implemented method comprising: identifying a subset of contactsselected at least in part by a user of the communication device, whereinthe subset of user contacts includes a portion of contacts accessible bya communication device and wherein the subset of contacts includes aplurality of contacts; identifying a graphical identifier correspondingto each user contact from the subset; causing the generation of adisplay on the communications device, the display including anarrangement of at least a portion of the graphical identifiers;identifying a pre-selected communication mode associated with a usercontact corresponding to a selected graphical identifier from the atleast a portion of the graphical identifiers displayed on thecommunications device; and automatically initiating a communicationcorresponding to the pre-selected communication mode and directed to theuser contact associated with the selected graphical identifier inresponse to selection by the user of a single input on the communicationdevice, wherein the graphical identifiers associated with the subset ofcontacts are caused to be presented on the display in response toinitiation of an idle screen state and wherein the method is implementedin a computer system.
 9. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein eachcontact in the subset of contacts is selected by the user of thecommunications device.
 10. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein thedisplay includes an arrangement of each of the graphical identifierscorresponding to a user contact from the subset.
 11. The method asrecited in claim 8, wherein the arrangement includes a first positioncorresponding to a selected graphical identifier position such that agraphical identifier presented in the first position corresponds to theselected graphical identifier.
 12. The method as recited in claim 11,wherein the graphical identifier associated with a first contactselected by the user as a member of the subset of contacts is initiallypresented on the display in the first position.
 13. The method asrecited in claim 8, wherein the pre-selected communication mode is userconfigured.
 14. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein thepre-selected communication mode is configured as a default communicationmode.
 15. The method as recited in claim 8, wherein the pre-selectedcommunication mode is user modifiable.
 16. The method as recited inclaim 8, wherein the pre-selected communication mode associated with theuser contact corresponding to the selected graphical identifier isdifferent from a pre-selected communication mode associated with atleast one of the other user contacts in the subset.
 17. Acomputer-implemented method comprising: identifying a subset ofcontacts, wherein the subset of user contacts includes a portion ofcontacts accessible by a communication device and wherein the subset ofcontacts includes a plurality of contacts; identifying a graphicalidentifier corresponding to each user contact from the subset; causingthe generation of a display on the communications device, the displayincluding an arrangement of at least a portion of the graphicalidentifiers; identifying a pre-selected communication mode associatedwith a user contact corresponding to a selected graphical identifierfrom the at least a portion of the graphical identifiers displayed onthe communications device, wherein the pre-selected communication modeis user configured; and automatically initiating a communicationcorresponding to the pre-selected communication mode and directed to theuser contact associated with the selected graphical identifier inresponse to selection by the user of a single input on the communicationdevice, wherein the graphical identifiers associated with the subset ofcontacts are caused to be presented on the display in an idle screen andwherein the method is implemented in a computer system.
 18. The methodas recited in claim 17, wherein each contact in the subset of contactsis selected by the user of the communications device.
 19. The method asrecited in claim 17, wherein the display includes an arrangement of eachof the graphical identifiers corresponding to a user contact from thesubset.
 20. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein the arrangementincludes a first position corresponding to a selected graphicalidentifier position such that a graphical identifier presented in thefirst position corresponds to the selected graphical identifier.
 21. Themethod as recited in claim 20, wherein the graphical identifierassociated with a first contact selected by the user as a member of thesubset of contacts is initially presented on the display in the firstposition.
 22. The method as recited in claim 17, wherein thepre-selected communication mode is user modifiable.
 23. The method asrecited in claim 17, wherein the pre-selected communication modeassociated with the user contact corresponding to the selected graphicalidentifier is different from a pre-selected communication modeassociated with at least one of the other user contacts in the subset.24. A computer-implemented method comprising: identifying a subset ofcontacts, wherein the subset of user contacts includes a portion ofcontacts accessible by a communication device and wherein the subset ofcontacts includes a plurality of contacts; identifying a graphicalidentifier corresponding to each user contact from the subset; causingthe generation of a display on the communications device, the displayincluding an arrangement of at least a portion of the graphicalidentifiers; identifying a pre-selected communication mode associatedwith a user contact corresponding to a selected graphical identifierfrom the at least a portion of the graphical identifiers displayed onthe communications device, wherein the pre-selected communication modeassociated with the user contact corresponding to the selected graphicalidentifier is different from a pre-selected communication modeassociated with at least one of the other user contacts in the subset;and automatically initiating a communication corresponding to thepre-selected communication mode and directed to the user contactassociated with the selected graphical identifier in response toselection by the user of a single input on the communication device,wherein the graphical identifiers associated with the subset of contactsare caused to be presented on the display in an idle screen and whereinthe method is implemented in a computer system.
 25. The method asrecited in claim 24, wherein each contact in the subset of contacts isselected by the user of the communications device.
 26. The method asrecited in claim 24, wherein the display includes an arrangement of eachof the graphical identifiers corresponding to a user contact from thesubset.
 27. The method as recited in claim 24, wherein the arrangementincludes a first position corresponding to a selected graphicalidentifier position such that a graphical identifier presented in thefirst position corresponds to the selected graphical identifier.
 28. Themethod as recited in claim 27, wherein the graphical identifierassociated with a first contact selected by the user as a member of thesubset of contacts is initially presented on the display in the firstposition.
 29. The method as recited in claim 24, wherein thepre-selected communication mode is configured as a default communicationmode.
 30. The method as recited in claim 24, wherein the pre-selectedcommunication mode is user modifiable.
 31. The method as recited inclaim 24 further comprising causing the generation of a second displayon the communications device, the second display comprising acommunications option menu including an arrangement of availablecommunication modes associated with a currently selected graphicalidentifier corresponding to a first contact, wherein the arrangement ofavailable communication modes comprises a second arrangement ofgraphical identifiers on the second display about a central axis,wherein the second arrangement of graphical identifiers comprises atleast a portion of a set of graphical identifiers indicative ofavailable communication modes, and wherein one of the graphicalidentifiers indicative of available communication modes corresponds to acurrently selected communication mode.